Another freakin ear infection, big surpirse

I knew it was coming.  If his faucet of a nose and crankiness over the pass few days didn't give it away, then his fever tonight did.  When the doctor checked his last one, and it "hadn't totally cleared up," she just gave me a prescription knowing that it was just a matter of time.  Don't worry, Valin has an appointment with a Nose, Ear, and Throat specialist here in town.  But it's just frustrating waiting in the mean time.  Luckily Valin is pretty good with them now, but I still feel horrible that he gets them on an average of once every other month.  Poor kid! Well, please keep him in your prayers.  Thanks!

Seren's graduation

I just uploaded the pictures from my camera, so here come all of my posts.  sorry that it's either feast or famine here.

Here's pictures from Seren's Graduation and grad BBQ on June 5th.  We also went canoeing that day too.  

At the beginning of the ceremony, all of the graduates gave roses to their parents or loved ones.  Peni got the prettiest pink rose.

Valin is usually all smiles, but it's hard to request one from him.

It's official, Seren Graduated from High School, she has the diploma and everything. 

Seren and her best friend, Lacy, had a combination Graduation BBQ.  Here they are posing with the hats that came on their cake.

Next to Pilot Rock, there is a reservoir that damns the MacKay creek and that is where we took the canoes.

It was a little bit cold, so Valin wasn't in the best spirits.

Dennis and Peni had to take their turn on the reservoir too!

Shelbey dunked Stefka in and everyone joined them, until it got too cold.

It was great fun seeing Stefka, Petra, and Mikey who came down especially.  A celebration at the Waites is always tons of fun and loaded with food! Congradulation Seren!

Shanel's wedding

On June 10, one of my closest friends was sealed in the Portland Temple and I was fortunate enough to witness and share in the blessed event. It was great and I was so very happy for her! The best part was seeing Joe's face when he saw her for the first time in her wedding dress. It was so precious, I teared up. Joe has so much love for her, it makes me so happy to think about it. Sadly, though, Patxi wasn't able to come with me because we was drilling with his National Guard company in the deserts south of Boise. So it was a happy but sad event for me (though happiness from Shanel's happiness totally outweighed the sad). But here are some of my favorite photos from the wedding.  Shanel was stunning!

I carpooled with another one of my closest friends, Britney, who is on the right of Shanel.  We had a blast, we always do :)

8 more weeks

So I am officially 32 weeks along and the strangest thing happened this morning.  I was finishing my bowl of cereal (when I mean "I," I'm really mean Valin and I) when all of a sudden I started to get sharp pains from the general area of my lower abs.  I first thought that I could be gas, fighting its way out, but then it didn't let up and started to cover my whole stomach.  They were sharp enough, that I had to remind myself to breathe.  So, I decided to lay down on the couch and see if they (thinking that they might be contractions) would go away.  They had a wave effect, like real contractions do, but they were very sporadic, with no recognizable pattern at all.  After about 15 minutes (from the first pain) they slowed down and stopped.  I stayed on the couch for an hour and when I got up, though my stomach was a little tired, I felt fine.  I walk around with Valin outside, and did the normal things a stay-home mother does and felt okay.  Then Patxi and I thought it would be fun to walk to Dmitri's house with Valin in his stroller.  After a while the sharp pains came back, especially while we walked up the hill.  So when we got to his house, Patxi sat me inside a wheelbarrow and I rested.  It seems as soon as I would sit down, the pains went away.  So after 20 minutes, we went a shorter way home and up hill again.  I sat down and fed Valin his lunch without any pain and I haven't felt it since. 

So from this I've concluded that I'm just experiencing Bracken Hicks and should take the time to sit down whenever they come.  I didn't really get them until I was 39 weeks with Valin so that's why it took me a while to figure it out.  The crazy thing was that I was sitting, eating breakfast when they first came, I wasn't doing anything stressful or demanding on my body.  Well, I guess that's just Bracken Hicks, coming solely for the purpose of prepping your body.  I just might have to take things a little slower for at least the next 4 weeks.  We would like to have her early, because Patxi is leaving 3 days after my due date, but not too early that she might not be healthy and fully developed.  But I feel that if I just take it easy for a while, everything will be fine.  I have an OB appointment on Tuesday and will talk to my doctor about his opinion then.  But I feel fine what everything.  If the pains get anywhere close to consistent, I plan to go to the hospital, but I'll just take it easy until then.

9 More weeks!!!!!

So, not much happened this week in my prego world beside some silly things.  I'm usually a human heater when I fall a sleep, but lately I've been waking up sweaty, no matter the outside atmosphere.  Is that normal? Or even is it that a pregnancy thing?

Anyway, on to less randomly akward things...yesterday I went to the sealing on one of my best friends, Shanel Olmstead -well Shanel Shaw now. It was so fun and just wonderful to see her so happy.  She was amazingly beautiful! And as soon as I get it together, I'll post the pictures.  Beside the fact that it rained and flatten my hair, I had a great time.  I love you Shanel!

Patxi left on Wednesday to play in the desert south of Boise for gunnery training.  He won't be home until the 17th and I'm missing him so much! Especially after being at Shanel's sealing.  I love him so much and I am so lucky to be his wife. How am I going to handle a whole year without him?! The Lord only has the answer. 

I'm now in La Grande visiting Jillian and her man Standley while their up for as few days.  It's been great fun but tough to fine good hangout time.  Well we still have time this afternoon.  i wish my sisters didn't live so far away! I would hang with them all the time!

Um...well I think that does it.  Love you all!    

10 more weeks!!!!

So I've decided that I would kill two birds with one stone.  I need to start a count down so I can stay sane as I wait for the last months of my pregnancy to end, but I also want to be more frequent in my blog posting.  So now I'm going to blog my prego count down. 

Hum... well.  I have 10 more weeks and since I did an update the other day, I don't have much else to say.  Alrightly then.  Have a good day. :) 

A quick little post

I know it's been a while since I posted so I'll do a quick update.  Everything in going great as I near my 30 week marker.  I am way excited to have our baby girl join our family.  I'm excited and sad at the same time because as soon as I hold her in my arms, it seems, Patxi will deploy.  So I'm excited and yet dreading the blessed moment.  But I have faith that the Lord must have known what he was doing, so...I'll leave it as that.

Anyway, the rest of May flew by and ended with a crazy weekend with my family.  Jen and Nick came up from Utah which had us all excited.  But then my mother check into the emergency room on Saturday because of stomach pain.  After 12 hours, they finally decided that she had appendicitis and removed it in the morning.  We were all very sad, but happy to know the cause of the pain.  So we spent the rest of the weekend in and out of her hospital room.  It was still a great weekend and she is on the mend.  Keep her in your prayers, though.

Valin's got another ear infection.  I think it was my fault because we washed the car together on a breezy day.  So right now we are dealing with his sickness.  He has also started to throw fits and literally squeals like a pig if he doesn't get his way.  We have been saying "no" more often and now it's his automatic answer to every question.  He is still all smiles with hilarious facial expression, but he is just moving into a different stage (I guess...I'm figuring this out as we go along). But I think the key is to be consistent, because it's hard to learn the outcome of an action if the outcome always changes.  Plus, I need not be lazy.  It's easier just to give him what he wants to stop the crying then it is to say no and remove him from the spot or show him what is right.  It's easy to do my own thing and not spend the time to interact and give positive attention. It's hard to make him learn to be patient and not laugh at his silly fits.  But I know that if I just stick to it, he'll learn and be the kind of person his Heavenly Father wants him to be.  I think that it is easier to do things my own way, according to my own philosophy.  But it is the best way to seek and receive inspiration from the One who loves him more then I do (hard to even imagine).  For He knows truly what is best for him, not me. I just need to remember this.  Not an easy thing to do.    

Umm... yummy wheat germ.

Though wheat germ doesn't sound that apealing, I've decided to start using it in my/ Valin's diet.  I was looking on the internet for healthy (and toddler-friendly) snacks and meal ideas and I found some that use the ingredient, wheat germ.  It seemed pretty easy to use.  It sounded familar and I knew it was good for you, so of course I did some research.  This is what I found (http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-wheat-germ.htm, Written by Garry Crystal, Last Modified: 30 April 2010 ):

"Walk past any health food store and you will no doubt see advertisements for wheat germ. Wheat germ is one of the most nutritional products available. In fact, wheat germ contains 23 nutrients, and has more nutrients per ounce than any other vegetable or grain.
Wheat germ is a part of the wheat kernel. The germ is only a very small part of the kernel, approximately 2 ½ percent in total. The word germ does not have anything to do with bacteria; it simply refers to germination. The germ is the reproductive part that germinates and forms the wheat grass.
Wheat germ is very high in protein. It contains around 28 percent protein and has more protein than can be found in most meat products. The human body needs protein in order to repair tissue damage and to help minerals and nutrients reach our cells.
The amount of nutrients that are contained within wheat germ seems endless. It contains more potassium and iron than any other food source. Also found in great quantities are riboflavin, calcium, zinc magnesium and vitamins A, B1 and B3. Vitamins B1 and 3 are very important to maintain energy levels and maintain healthy muscles, organs, hair and skin.
Another important vitamin found in wheat germ is vitamin E. Vitamin E is a very important antioxidant. It is helpful in preventing the body's aging process and also to prevent heart disease. Vitamin E also helps to prevent blood clots and is needed to strengthen the body’s immune system.
Wheat germ has been found to be very beneficial in order to keep the body in tip top condition. It is used by athletes in their diet to improve cardiovascular function and improve endurance levels. Body builders will also add wheat germ to their diets in order to bulk up and maintain the nutritional levels they need to perform.
You can buy wheat germ from all good health stores and many supermarkets will carry it as well. It can either be purchased in toasted or fresh form. There are also many food products that already contain wheat germ. A number of cereals are made with it, as well as bread and flour.
If you make your own bread or cakes you can easily add wheat germ when baking by using it instead of a small amount of flour. You will find that it has a sweet, almost nutty flavor that is not too overpowering. It can also be added to meat dishes, eggs, vegetables and even yogurt."

I called my mom, asking what she knew about it and if I could find it at safeway or if she could pick it up for me at the health food store in La grande.  She told me that as kids she would put it in the yogurt she would feed us every afternoon.  And she said that it was the reason we never really got sick and had tons of energy as kids.  Huh, I don't remember that.  But then agian, maybe it was a good thing because it wasn't bad enough for me to remember. 

So for my walk this morning, I spent the time thinking of different ways I can use it in my cooking.  So, I have plans to bake it in some wheat bread I already planned to make today, put a pitch of it in the flour mixture I'll fry the pork steaks in, and then sprinkle it on Valin's snacks -like on his peanut butter and banana or something.  I also want to make my own granola bars and I'll use some then.  I'm so excited! I can't wait to try it. 

Good news!

I just got back from my OB appointment and I found out that I only gained 3 pounds this month, so that brings it to a total of 20 pounds for this pregnancy so for.  I'm 28 weeks now and I'll be gaining the most within the next 12 weeks.  But I know that if I watch what I eat and walk my two miles in (or around) 32 minutes everyday, I'll stay within the healthy weight goal (total of 25-35 pounds)! I know I can do this! I know I can, I know I can, I know I can.

Cute video of Valin

This is a video we got of Valin dancing.  Patxi first sang the song to go along with Valin playing with the toy horse in his hand.  And at first, that's what he did.  That horse galloped so fast on the couch.  But then, it seems, Valin wanted to do the galloping as well... he was just so cute.

 

some updated pictures

I know that you guys must be picture starved because it's been a while since I posted one.  So, here: I guess it's either fest or famine on my blog :)

(sorry that it's a little out of focus)

One time, while Patxi had the dishes soaking in the sink, we decided to play with the bubbles.

The clump of bubbles stayed, miraclously, on for a long time.

Then here's Valin playing with my parent's dogs.  (This one is named Jinkies)

This is the Jell-o cake I made for Patxi's birthday.

We had fijitas for his birthday and everyone loved them, especially Valin.

Valin's cousin, Elliot, and Valin were both watching Tice (their uncle) mow the lawn.  We'll see how interesting mowing the lawn is when it's their turn.

That's pretty much it for now.  I'll post more when I remember to take them. 

"(f)ish," (p)each," "doen," and the newest today, "apple"

Our little 15 month old is really starting to use some words.  For months he's been copying the sounds we make, but he is now starting to use the words by himself. Like this morning, I asked if he wanted a piece of my apple, which he repeated wonderfully.  Then, after he finished, he pointed and said, "awe-pel." I was so blown away and giddy, I almost did a touch down dance right there.

He knows what words mean.  Like when I ask him if he is finished with his green beans and he shakes his head and grabs another green bean, but we're at the stage where he needs to figure out how to use his month to correctly make the sound and then remember the sound that goes with that object and use it.  It's all very amazing to witness.  I love to see him learn and grow and this is just a wonderful stage to be in.  Oh, I am so lucky to be his mom!

finger painting with pudding

I got this idea from Christanne Jones off of facebook so I decided to try it out today. The only pudding in the house was a little bit of villina so I divided it into three and put food coloring in them.

I idea behind doing pudding instead of regular finger paints is because, with toodlers and pre-toodlers, everything goes into their mouth.

 

He did really well.

Made some wonderful masterpieces.

And just had a great time.

The only bad thing was that I've fingerpainted with Valin before with real paint and had taught him not to eat it.  But now, affter tasting the puddling, he will eat it.  So I think I just offically confused my child.  Opps! Well, we'll fingure it out.

It's getting better

I haven't had an emotional rain cloud since that Thursday and I feel so much better. I couldn't even blamed it on the weather because it's not that bad, besides the fact that it feels like someone's let lost the big bad wolf and he's trying to blow the whole town down. It's so strong that even I get blown over when I exercise outside. But anyway, just in case someone was wondering, I'm feeling a lot better.

One of the reasons I think I feel better is because I making better eating choices. I think that blogging about it and telling my husband about my struggles really helped. His and your comments tell me that you really care as well as give me wonderful advice. But one of the most helpful things is including my Heavenly Father. I realized that I've moved away from His spirit lately and so I've consciously strived to keep it with me moment by momnet, as well as pour my heart out to him in prayer. If anyone is most willing and able to give me the specific help I need, it's him (and my Savior). And the best thing is that really I feel it. Like today, I first of all didn't get hungry until 5:00pm (on a normal day, it around 4:00)and then I had the power to say to myself, "wait until dinner" and actually do it. Before, I couldn't (and wouldn't) do it. And then, always after dinner I feel the need for desert. I don't know why, but I want something sweet. So today like usual, I go through the options in my head but, get this, I never did anything about it. I'm even sitting here with an uneaten apple next to me. I didn't even want the few calories in an apple so I could appease my sweet tooth. Isn't that great! I totally have the Lord and your help to thank for it. So...Thank you!

It totally made my day

So it started with a message from my mother. This is not strange at all, but she called to know what I was doing today or tommorrow. So I of course called her back to tell her that I wasn't busy, thinking that she was planning for a visit to a local doctor and therefore wanted to see me. When I asked her about the doctor visit, she said that she didn't know if she would go or not. So I asked why she wanted to know my schedule, she said that she thought I was having a OB visit. "Huh" I thought, now she's normally not that interested, especailly when the interesting visits don't come for another two months or so. So I had a hunch that something was amuck. But since I absolutely love surprises, I decided to forget all about it.

And I did until Grace bond walked into my kicthen. Surprise! (For those who don't know, she's a great friend that I want to high school with) It turned out that she was leaving for Alaska Wednesday and wanted to see me before she left. I didn't even know she was back in La Grande. She drove for two hours here and back for a two hour conversation. It really meant a lot to me. I was so tickled pink to see her. And her surprise totally made my day. It was so fun to see her again.